Chapter 24- Resignation of Pastor Rudy Bernal; The Implications on UIM & NFM Projects

                                  Chapter 24

     Resignation of Pastor Rudy  Bernal;  The  Implications  on  the   UIM  & NFM Projects

My resignation  as Director of the New Frontier Ministries,  the    Development Arms of the CPBC    was one of hardest and painful    decisions,  I made in  life.

These   happened  during the   3^rd  Quarter of 1988.

UIM was the flagship of the New Frontier Ministries. It was there we tried to experiment  the different  potential projects, skills and practical technologies that  will be relevant and effective in development education, advocacy works, labor education and organizing works among  farmers and sugar cane workers.   

I went  to my office.  I sat behind my  my desk.  I  looked outside the window,  outside where I can see the sky. I  prayed.  I asked  God for strength.  I asked for guidance. I have made a hard decision.  A  decision  that will  have some  hard implications on  my ministry, the CPBC development ministries and the future of some, who were working  now, and those who will be working in the future   in the New Frontier Missions.

Under the new leadership, which lacks the needed first hand  experiences,  in community organizing, livelihood projects and technology transfers, animal trainings and dispersals,  labor education and organizing, where  30 staff were  being trained wthout the assistance of the trained UIM staff,  the potentials of the project to grow was limited. It was possible, that it will lose or fail,  in certain  time.

My  Resignation Letter was simple.  It was  addressed  to Rev. Penuelito Sacapano,  General Secretary.  I tried today,  to recollect the best I could, the wordings of   my letter. It said:

“New Frontier Ministries

Convention of Philippine Baptist Churches, Inc.

Fajardo Street, Jaro, Iloilo City

“Rev. Penuelito Sacapano

General Secretary

 “Dear Rev. Sacapano,

I have the  honor to tender my resignation as Director of the New Frontier Ministries of the Convention, effective  60 days  from  today.

I have worked with the NFM for nearly 10 years and have given it the best that I knew and have.

“There are three reasons, that made me decide to resign:

1)   “First.  The termination of the 4 staff  of UIM, who were trained and have lots of experiences in running  the UIM program that will be expanded to most of Panay, Capiz and Aklan. Without, the UIM 4 staff, it would be hard to implement a big project with several million budget in 3 years,  with a  component of 34 full time staff.

2)   “Second. Presently, 30  persons  are being trained as full time staff. The trainings, for 7 day, was conducted without my  participations, as director.  I felt, it was  a pressure for me to resign, for if ever, I will be a director,  without authority.

“Thank you for the privilege to work with you.

Truly yours,

Pastor Rodolfo C. Bernal

Director,  CPBC New Frontier Ministries”

I  left  a copy of my  resignation  to Rev.  Lopez  and  Atty.  Lobaton at the CPBC office.

That  morning, I sent a  telegram of my  resignation to Rev. Olof Lindstrom, BUS,  in Sweden. I  requested  him to please inform   Mr.  Heinz Haverkorn of EZE  in West Germany of my resignation.

My Telegram  to Rev. Lindstrom   simply said:

“ Dear Rev. Olof Lindstrom, BUS, Baptist Union of Sweden. 

“The 4 UIM Staff that we trained and worked for 3 years were terminated by the Convention.  They have only 30 days left for work. The official letters of there  resignations  was given by General Secretary.  I felt, I cannot  worked effectively, with 34 new staffs with no  experiences in the kind of work  UIM were doing. I have resigned as  Director of the New Frontier Ministries. Please inform Mr. Heinz Haverkorn of EZE, Germany my resignation.  Sincerely, Pastor  Rudy Bernal.”

I called RCPI and dictated my telegram with the address in Sweden. I asked the Operator to read to me the message and the address 3 times. I want to make sure that my message will reached clear and   on  time.

My telegram was received that day in Stolkholm. Rev. Olof Lindstrom was in Hongkong when my telegram was received. The initial  UIM fund  was  ready and will be transmitted the  following day to Manila.  I heard,  Rev. Lindstrom  instructed his staff  in Sweden  to hold the transmission  of funds for a few days.   He sent a message and  situation to Mr. Hienz Haverkorn in West Germany. He also called Mr.  Leo Liljengren in Sweden and told him of the  problem.

The action of BUS was fast.  In two days time, Mr. Leo Liljengren was advised to go to the Philippines immediately  and  discussed  the situation and problems  with CPBC leaders.  Three (3) days after,   Mr.   Leo Liljengren  arrived in Iloilo City. The following day,  he and the CPBC top leaders Rev. Penuelito  Sacapano, General Secretary, Atty. Angel Lobaton, Presideent, Mr. Bonifacio Eslaban, Treasurer  and Rev. Edwin Lopez, Chairman of New Frontier Ministries   met at the CPBC office.

They  discussed the problem. The termination of the 4 UIM Staff, the resignation of Pastor Rudy Bernal. The training of the 34 new UIM staff that have already started.  What will happen to the coming Panay Integrated Development Project.

 Mr. Liljengren and me that morning met in the hotel for some discussions. He asked me. “Rudy, I will make  a proposal for CPBC.  If, CPBC will agree that you work again with NFM and helped train the 34 new UIM staff,  will you work again with CPBC?   Under this arrangement,  Baptist Union of Sweden will pay for your salary  and  incidental expenses while you are working with the project. It will be very difficult to train the 34 new UIM staff, without the guidance of trained UIM personnel. All the 34 new UIM staff were new. I am afraid, the new  UIM project may  fail. ”

I told Mr. Liljengren: “Yes, if I am needed,  I will continue to work with CPBC and help train the 34  new staff, even if,  I have already resigned”.

That morning, Mr. Liljengren  met with CPBC officers at the office.  Mr. Liljengren told me to  met him at the hotel, at 12:00 PM. I will just stay near the  hotel telephone, in case he will talked with me.   He believed the effectiveness of UIM was due to the good training madeof  the UIM staff  during that time. 

But the CPBC leadership was strong on their decisions.  They  said, the 4 UIM staff  were already   terminated.  Pastor Rudy Bernal has already  resigned.  They said,  nothing can be done about that anymore. Yes, nothing can be done about that anymore.”

Mr. Leo Liljengren told me that he had  acceded to the termination of the 4 UIM staff. But the new staff, must be  trained with my presence and guidance. He said, it will be difficult for the new project to succeed, in line with the project proposal, if  there was no one, who have the experiences of UIM implementations, in the new UIM project. 

Because nothing more can be done,  at about 12:30 that noon, the CPBC-BUS  meeting was ended.  Mr. Liljengren did not  took lunch with the  CPBC leaders anymore.  He went back to the hotel.  I met him at the hotel for lunch.  He told me the sad decision that was  made. He said, the CPBC has rejected all his proposals.  There was nothing left but   go back  to Sweden the following day. Germany’s EZE  and Sweden’s BUS  will have to make the decision, on the Panay Integrated Development Project.

After our lunch,  he asked me to  find another  hotel where he could see the  island  of Guimaras and the sea.  Some years ago, during his first visit, he and Rev.  Lindstrom went to Guimaras Island.  They were accompanied by Pastor Rodio Demetillo  for sightseeing on the island.   Later however, Pastor Rodio Demetillo was taken by uniformed people,  and was never heard of again.

I think Mr. Leo Liljengren   wants  to feel  the sea breeze and  calm his heart and mind.  He needs the cooling effect of the sea and looking at the  mountains  of Guimaras Island, which he visited quite a number of time several years ago.  The following morning, Mr. Leo Liljengren flew to Manila,  and  then to Sweden.

The following day, Rev. Edwin Lopez visited me at home.  We have a conversations. He asked where Mr. Leo Liljengren was. I told him, he left  very early that morning. He was in Manila and tomorrow,  he will be flying to Sweden.

Rev. Lopez asked me if I could communicate with  Rev. Olof Lindstrom and tell him,  that after discussion yesterday with the CPBC leaders. They have  decided to  accept Mr. Leo Liljengren’s   proposal – that I will be  employed again as Director of the New Frontier Ministries and help train the 34  new  UIM staff.  I told, Rev.  Lopez, I will try.   But I knew,  it will be hard.

Rev. Sacapano, after the end of the meeting with Mr. Leo Liljengren that afternoon,  also have met again with the 3 top leaders of CPBC.  They realized the serious  implications of  their  decisions. He called   Hotel del Rio  asking to talk with  Mr. Liljengren.  He was told Mr. Liljengren   had checked-out  an hour ago.  He called other hotels but he was told, Mr. Liljengren has not checked- in.  I was later told by the Secretary, that  CPBC leaders  have made some realization. But it was quite late.

Three days letter, Rev. Sacapano   received the telegram from Sweden. The Panay Integrated Development Project will not be implemented.  The fund intended for UIM will not be released.

That morning, the 34 staff that were training  for UIM  at the CPBC Board Room,  for  nearly a week,  were told  by Rev. Sacapano  that the project will be stopped  temporarily.  Meantime, they  must go home. They will  be notified when to come back.  The project ended, before it has started.

I learned, a few months later, the money  for Panay Integrated Development Project, was released to  National Federation of Sugar Workers (NFSW), Bacolod City. They bought some  parcels of sugar cane lands for sugar cane workers they organized. Many sugar cane lands in Negros  were about to taken by banks. I heard some ot these were bought by NFSW for their members and sugar cane workers they have organized into cooperatives.

Two months later,  Heinz Haverkorn sent me a note.  He asked  me, if I will work with NFSW. He said, I could be accommodated. It told Heinz, I will just find work here.  It would be hard for met to work with CPBC again, if I my heart will be committed deep in labor education with NFSW.

I think, one reason why the CPBC  have made strong demands during the talk with Mr. Liljnengren. They believed an  unsigned But  “contract” was already made.  It will not be easy for BUS & EZE to change their decision.

These was one incident that pulled down CPBC’s development works,  and took  some years  re-start.  I learned, what we have started and lost were  very hard to recover.  After 3 years, all  all CPBC projects supported from Europe, have ended. From then on,    no  project funds has  ever  came again to   CPBC,    from Europe, through  WCC ---like Bread for the World,  EZE, Christian Aid, Stechting, Dan Church Aid and World Council of Churches (WCC), which supported CPBC, except  Baptist Union of Sweden and Diakonia also from Sweden.

Few years later, with the leadership of  Mr. Wilzon Guanzon, Sr.,  the new  CPBC President, the Baptist Union of Sweden (BUS)  and Diakonia   came and became partners again of  CPBC  in some of its ministries.

When I resigned,  the different projects of the  New Frontier Ministries  has an amount of about  P3,600,000 that was in the CPBC Treasurer’s office. It did not include the the Children programs – the Kinderhomes, and  the SAO Projects for children.  After utilization of project funds, CPBC struggled hard. 

On the last year of Rev. Sacapano’s leadership as General Secretary, the CPBC staff already a very  limited staff.  Support from Local Churches have gone down very  low.

When I was called by the Convention leadership  thru Mr. Wilson Guazon and Rev. Delbe Dianala  to assist CPBC as Special Assistant to the  Relief Ministries, with  Mrs. Feraz Baclagon Legita, newly appointed Director of CPBC Relief Ministries, the project funds in the Treasurer’s Office was only,   P21,000 that comes from NCCP.

Under  leadership of Mr. Wilson Guanzon and Rev. Delbe Dianala, respectively as President and General Secretary. in 1989, CPBC again made a break through in  its development works,  with  the Baptist Union of Sweden   coming back and assisting CPBC Relief Ministries. It was during this time, the Relief Ministry, was change to   Relief and Development Ministries under  Mrs. Feraz Baclagon  Legita, as  Director.